It is common for an aircraft to require navigational assistance, or be required to follow a particular flight plan in accordance with an aviation authority such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or air traffic control (ATC) of an airport. For example, in low visibility conditions or at night, a pilot may require guidance to avoid terrain, obstacles, or air traffic and may be required to follow instrument flight rules (IFR). The FAA defines IFR as “Rules and regulations established by the FAA to govern flight under conditions in which flight by outside visual reference is not safe. IFR flight depends upon flying by reference to instruments in the flight deck, and navigation is accomplished by reference to electronic signals.” Various published navigational charts in accordance with IFR are commonly available for pilots to review and follow, such as Departure Procedure (DP), Standard Terminal Arrival Route (STAR), and Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) charts.
A DP chart, commonly referred to as a DP, is a published chart for guiding an aircraft to safely take off and navigate to waypoints close to an airport. For example, a DP may include information for navigating an aircraft to a beginning of an en route phase or waypoint (i.e. fix) of a flight plan.
A STAR chart, commonly referred to as a STAR, is a published chart for guiding an aircraft to safely descend from a higher altitude to a lower altitude and transition into a landing procedure. For example, a STAR may include information for navigating an aircraft to an initial approach fix (IAF) of an IAP chart.
An IAP chart, commonly referred to as an IAP, is a published landing procedure chart for guiding an aircraft to safely descend and land. For example, an IAP may include information for navigating an aircraft from an IAF to a final approach fix (FAF). A FAF is a beginning of a final approach segment for a landing aircraft.
It is useful to map a position of an aircraft on such navigational charts. For example, a pilot may find it useful to know where their aircraft is located relative to various airports, navigational fixes, or waypoints. Conventional methods exist to map a position of an aircraft on navigational charts that are linear or to scale. However, it is common for DPs and STARs to be non-linear or not to scale with respect to real geographic coordinates or distances. For example, a length ratio of two segments on a STAR may not be the same for corresponding segments on earth. As such, mapping a position of an aircraft on such non-linear charts is problematic, difficult, and inaccurate using conventional methods.
As such, there exists a need for a system for mapping a position of an aircraft on a non-linear navigational chart.